Saturday, January 14, 2017

‘Pilots on drugs’ to blame for most Indonesian plane crashes, narcotics chief claims

Most of Indonesia’s airline accidents have involved
pilots who tested positive for drugs, including a Lion Air jet that slammed
into the sea four years ago while trying to land on the tourist island of Bali,
the chief of the national narcotics agency said.

Budi Waseso made the comments Thursday at a ceremony on Bali to
inaugurate traditional village security guards as anti-drug volunteers.

Lion Air, the National Transport Safety Committee and the Ministry of
Transport declined to comment.

Indonesian airlines were previously barred from flying to Europe and the
United States but foreign air safety regulators have upgraded the country,
allowing some airlines to resume flights. The US aviation regulator upgraded
Indonesia’s safety rating in August.

However, the International Air Transport Association’s former chief
executive, Tony Tyler, who stepped down in June, said in 2015 he was very
concerned about airline safety in Indonesia. His comments reflected worries
about rapid growth in the number of planes in the skies and the need to upgrade
air traffic management systems.